Electrical connecter



H., H. RUDD ELECTRICAL CCSNNECTER' Filed March 21, 1934 mg b u Feb. 16, 1 937.

n We Patented Feb. 16, 1937 2,071,002

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,07 1,002 ELECTRICAL CONNECTER Harold H. Rudd, Greensburg, Pa., assignor to Railway & Industrial Engineering Co., Greensburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 21, 1934, Serial No. 716,701 12 Claims. (01. 1732'73) This invention relates to electrical connectors clamp a tap wire T to the connecting strip. The

and more particularly to connecters of the type general form of the clamp plate, as viewed in side commonly known as live line clamps. elevation, is U-shaped, with the inner leg 1 Live line clamps maybe employed for connectmerging into the extension 8 that flares away 5 ing any two conductors but are especially usefrom the outer leg 6 of the clamping section. 5 ful for connecting a tap line or branch to a live The washer I0 which bears agains the tap wire line or conductor without cutting the latter or preferably has a radial extension H which is enotherwise interfering with current flow through gaged in a notch in the end of the connecting the same. strip.

10 An object of the invention is to provide a live As best shown in Fig. 3, the portion 1 of the 10 line clamp of particularly simple, eflicient and clamp plate is preferably of non-uniform crossrugged construction which may be readily ajsection to provide a wedging surface l2 which plied to a live line to obtain a reliable connection is inclined towards the lower face 3 of the bolt of a top tothe line. More particularly, an 010- head to force the line conductor L towards the ject is to provide a line clamp including a bolt shank of the bolt. Whether or not the inclined 15 having an overhanging lug or projecting head, surface I2 is provided on the clamping plate,

a combined nut and ring member adapted to be the line conductor L will be forced against the threaded upon the bolt, and a clamp plate or conbolt shank to produce a three point engagement necting strip which serves as a guide for placof the clamp with the conductor. This necesing the clamp upon a line, the line being then sarily results in a firm and low resistance conclamped against the plate by turning the nut tact engagement of the clamp with conductor upon the bolt. lines of different sizes.

These and other objects and advantages of the It is particularly to be noted that a relatively invention will be apparent from the following small clearance is provided between the upper 2 specification when taken with the accompanying portion 6 of the clamping strip and the bolt head drawing, in which: 2. The significance of this construction is that F 1 s a Side elevation, th parts in section, the clamping strip reinforces the bolt against of one embodiment of the invention, the clamp bending when the clamp is applied to a conductbeing shown in place on a conducting line meming line and the forces thus exerted eccentrically her; of and transversely of the bolt tend to deflect 30 Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; the head in a counterclockwise direction, as Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the viewed in Fig. 1.

clamp; When the clamp is designed for use with line Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modiconductors of but one size, it is possible, as shown fled construction; and in Fig. 4, to providethe lower face of the bolt 35 Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of head with a groove 3 and the upper surface the invention. of the clamp plate with a groove l2 for receiv- In the drawing, the reference numeral l identiing the line L. It is usually preferable, however,

fies the threaded section of a bolt wh ch has to employ the inclined contact surfaces which 40 a elongated non-circular head 2 projecting provide a three point contact in place of the two 40 beyond one side of the axis of the bolt, the propoint contact which results when the clamping jecting portion of the head having an inclined urfaces are grooved, face or clamping surface 3 directed towards said A simplified construction which may be quite Shank fo engagement t a v line A t satisfactory for some purposes is illustrated in 4 is threaded upon the shank l and has an inte- Fig, 5. In this form of the invention, the com- 45 eral r n m m 5 for r v n the hooked end bined ring and nut member I4 is threaded upon of an insulated switch puller or the like, not the bolt I5 which has a shank'passing through S own, y which e clamp y be pp to the both of the approximately parallel sections is, live line. A clamp plate or connecting strip is I! of a reversely bent clamp plate, the head of 5 reversely bent to provide approximately paralthe bolt having a lug or extension l8 which enlel portions 6, 1 which are each apertured to regages in a corresponding non-circular aperture ceive, respectively, the elongated head 2 and the of the section IE to prevent rotation of the bolt threaded shank l of the bolt, and the intermediwhen the ring nut I4 is rotated. The portion I! ate portion 1 is continued as or merges into an of the clamp plate is normally slightly concaved extension 8 through which a bolt 9 is passed to upwardly to assist in wedging the line conductor 55 L against the shank of the bolt when the clamp is applied to a conductor. The free end of the section I6 of the clamp plate cooperates with the extension N3 of the plate to form a jaw or guide for facilitating the application of the clamp to a conductor.

The invention is not restricted to the particular constructions herein illustrated and described, as changes may be made in the design and relative disposition of the several parts without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A live line clamp comprising a clamp strip having a U-shaped clamping section with aption extending'from the inner leg of the clamping section and flaring away from the outer leg to form a guide, means on the connecting section for establishing an electrical connection to a tap wire, and means for clamping against the inner leg of the clamping section a conductor on which the clamp is placed; said clamping means 2. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 1 wherein the non-circular portion of the bolt head section extends through the outer leg section to engage the conductor and clamp the same against said inner leg.

3. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 1 whereconductor.

4. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein that surface of the inner leg which is directed towards the bolt head is inclined to- Wards the bolt to force the conductor towards the bolt when clamping pressure is applied.

5. A live line clamp comprising a metal strip U-shaped form with an extension integral with the inner leg of the clamping section and flaring away from the outer leg, said extension serving as a guide for facilitating the application of the clamping section to a conductor, means on said extension for establishing an electrical connection to a tap line, a bolt having a shank and a head extending respectively through the inner and outer legs of the clamping section, said head including a clamping portion positioned laterally of the shank and at the open side of the U-shaped clamping section of the metal strip, and a nut threaded on said shank for drawing the clamping portion of the bolt head and said inner leg towards each other.

6. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 5,

wherein the surface of said inner leg opposed to the clamping portion of said bolt head is inclined towards the shank of the bolt, thereby to wedge a conductor away from the open mouth of the U-shaped clamping section.

7. A live line clamp of the type including a metal strip having an ing into two approximately parallel legs to form a U-shaped clamping section, a bolt extending through said legs and spaced from the outer ends thereof to provide an open jaw for receiving a conductor, and a nut threaded on said bolt for drawing thehead of the bolt towards the clamping section leg at the opposite side of the jaw, characterized by the fact that said bolt has a clamping portion located laterally of the bolt shank at the open jaw side of the clamping section, and the intermediate section of said metal strip lies adjacent and parallel to the bolt to reinforce the same against bending when clamping pressure is applied.

8. A live line clamp a threaded shank portions apertured to receive respectively said head and said shank, an extension on the portion of said strip through which said shank passes, means on said extension for clamping a tap wire thereto, and a nut threaded upon said shank for drawing said bolt head plate I through the shank of said bolt to wedge a conductor laterally against the shank of said bolt.

9. A live line clamp as claimed in. claim 8, wherein the clamping surface of said head is located at one side of the axis of said bolt, and the section of said clamp strip through which said bolt head passes has a substantially snug fit with the opposite side of said bolt head to reinforce the bolt against bending.

10. A live line clamp comprising a bolt having a threaded shank and an elongated head extending laterally of said shank, a clamp plate having an intermediate portion apertured to receive the said bolt shank, a reversely bent extension on said intermediate portion apertured to receive and reinforce the elongated head of said bolt, an extension at the opposite end of said intermediate portion and carrying means for connecting a wire thereto, and a nut threaded on said shank for forcing said intermediate section of said clamp plate towards the adjacent face of said elongated head.

11. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 10, wherein the opposed faces of said elongated head and said intermediate section of said'clamp plate converge towards each other to wedge a conductor between the same and against the shank of said bolt.

12. A live line clamp as claimed in claim 10, wherein the opposed faces of said elongated head and said intermediate portion of said clamp plate are grooved to receive a conductor.

HAROLD H. RUDD.

intermediate section merg-. 

